Yet, the knowledge of one coming,motivates me to forget the world and join as a spectator. I’m usually alone, as I can’t imagine anyone I know as excited as me. I like to watch, applaud, and occasionally cheer at the odd display of colorful people and their strange contraptions and organized entertainment. If there is some theme, than I have a bonus to my enjoyment.

So last Saturday, there was this 2015 Torchlight Parade in Seattle, mainly sponsored by Alaska Airlines. Without looking this up, I think the theme was lights and diversity as there was much of that through the late evening, early nightfall. We got a huge range of ethnic and cultural diversity crossed with local businesses and small town promotions. It was all local fun, with little on anything specific to recent happenings (unlike other parades). Also, lots of beauty queens on flowery floats and big bands in between. Overall, some good old-fashioned fun to a parade that just is..

Here are some parade pics that may amuse you, and hopefully remind you of the joys of a good ol parade..

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O look, it’s the Alaska Airlines mascot!

Pickle Pride!

Big orca love, full of inflated happiness!

One of my favorite floats, as I also love peaches.. I would love to attend a Peach Fesitval someday..

One of many who chose to ride in classic style through the parade, on horseback.

One of the more perplexing displays of the parade. That can’t be real, yet the sign says..leading some in the crowd to run and touch the potato thing…

One of many marchers representing the U.S. Military and armed forces, with spendid musical performances!

And some extra patriotism…

One of many floats with gorgeous ladies wearing sashes and tiaras.

It’s Blitz the Seahawks mascot…getting us psyched for another coming season of NFL football.

Dancing and music, south of the border style!

Fantastic lights brings a magical feeling here..

A more colorful chariot for this parade

One of the more stranger floats, with a message about garbage and our drainage systems..

Some headspinning visual feats..

And pirates, aRRRRR!

And this big obnoxious truck!

That is all I share from thIs parade. I sadly missed out on some clowns, as I had to exit for some time to make some calls. The pics were a small portion of the whole show, as I am limited on upload capacity and time for this article. But overall, I hope you enjoy the visual sampling of parade moments , as I enjoy sharing them.

This is a city ups and downs, at the southwest corner of Los Angeles County. Also, the birthplace of pop-culture icons, Nicolas Cage and Snoop Doggy Dogg. I lived for nearly two years about 7 trips around the sun ago, and came back last weekend to visit old friends for some days.

Unfortunately, I was sick and recovering from the crazy San Diego Comic Con adventure I had (of which I will bring up again in more detail, soon). I eventually recuperated, and had a some days left to get some outside air, and walk around in the Long Beach city area. Unfortunately, I did not have my good camera on me, so I took some pictures using my tablet. Here below, are some raw unedits of some sites admired…

First off, not quite Long Beach. This is further south in Seal Beach, in Orange County. In the far distance, you can make out the outline of Long Beach’s Downtown area. Sadly, the rain and heavy humidity was difficult on me. But at least, others there had fun…

The I met with the sun some days later. I walked around, noticed some new art on some buildings. This work is an alley, in the East Village area..by “Drew”

I enjoyed some good BBQ dinner and yams at Louisiana Charlies restaurant still inside Shoreline Village, and headed around to the other side of the waterfront. I looked to the boat, with a yearning to jump on and go on some wacky old timey adventure .

I took some time out, to look down and admire this curvatures of the brake layout on the long pathway walked (part of an area called the Pike)..

Also, this fishy bike rack!

And around to this lighthouse, a favorite place to rest when I lived here. I once again sat on the grass hill around it until the sunset, reading a stack of free comic books I took in San Diego..

The Queen Mary ocean liner (now stationary as a tourist attraction and hotel), in the distance. If I had more time, I would have went..

And the Rainbow Harbor Bridge, that leads to the Queen Mary and some industrialized areas. Also, very cool if you stay late, to gaze upon the awesome water reflection of the colorful bridge.

That was pretty much all I could do for this visit. Here is the one last sunset I look had, before leaving (and battery exhausted on my tablet).

And I was constant with busy activity, with a huge comic convention and other business going on. I stayed on a boat during that last weekend with new friends for some days. I wrote and photographed quite a bit of that trip for another web site (strangerworlds.com), and will feature some of that work with personal commentary on that, in my next posting here.

For now, enjoy with mild amusement these pictures, of what I believe is a blue heron..